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Oftentimes, we think of people from the past as stuffy, stiff, and nowhere near as fun as us. After all, at best, we might have a few old letters and maybe some dusty photographs. But don’t let this fool you, humans over a hundred years ago were just as capable of looking fly. 

New York Times bestselling author Jason Pargin shared his discovery that people in mugshots from over a hundred years ago look absolutely awesome. Bored Panda reached out to Jason via email and will update the article when he gets back to us. 

More info: TikTok

A man on TikTok shared his discovery that folks in 1920s mugshots looked incredibly cool

@jasonkpargin #rizz ♬ Quirky Suspenseful Indie-Comedy(1115050) - Kenji Ueda

We’ve gathered some of the best examples online below

#1

Herbert Ellis 1920

Herbert Ellis 1920

Ellis is found in numerous police records of the 1910s, 20s and 30s. He is variously listed as a housebreaker, a shop breaker, a safe breaker, a receiver and a suspected person

The Sydney Justice & Police Museum Report

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damdal1117 avatar
Danny Dale
Community Member
1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

A ‘discovery’ that is literally from a museum in Sydney and published books (“Crooks Like Us”)

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#2

Eugenia Falleni, Alias Harry Crawford. 1920

Eugenia Falleni, Alias Harry Crawford. 1920

Eugenia Falleni spent most of her life masquerading as a man. In 1913 Falleni married a widow, Annie Birkett, whom she later murdered

The Sydney Justice & Police Museum Report

#3

William Stanley Moore 1926

William Stanley Moore 1926

Opium dealer./ Operates with large quantities of faked opium and cocaine./ A wharf labourer; associates with water front thieves and drug traders

The Sydney Justice & Police Museum Report

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pandaboi avatar
Panda Boi
Community Member
1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Safe bet to assume Ralph Fiennes will be playing the lead if there ever was a movie about this guy.

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The term mugshot is somewhat comical, as the word “mug” is a pretty lowly slang word for a face. How it ended up being part of the official label is anyone’s guess. Regardless of the “how,” the term mugshot has been used since the late 18th century, although, as these images demonstrate, the form and standards have changed over time. 

The real question is, why were all these convicts of the past so darn attractive? Is there some correlation between doing crime and physical charisma? Unfortunately, for better or worse, that seems statistically unlikely. Instead, these images simply stood out from the no doubt hundreds of others. 

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#4

Nancy Cowman, 21 February 1924

Nancy Cowman, 21 February 1924

Nancy Cowman, 19, and Vera Crichton, 23, are listed in the NSW Police Gazette 24 March 1924 as charged, along with three others, with “conspiring together to procure a miscarriage” on a third woman

The Sydney Justice & Police Museum Report

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miablack avatar
Mia Black
Community Member
1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Free and safe abortion for all who need it! I hope I will never be in a situation I need this kind of women but I think I would be glad (and fearful) they existed if needed.

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#5

Edith Florence Ashton, 29 August 1929

Edith Florence Ashton, 29 August 1929

Edith Ashton was a backyard abortionist who also dabbled in theft and fencing stolen goods

The Sydney Justice & Police Museum Report

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El Dee
Community Member
1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Thank God it has been legalised to prevent amateur abortions killing young girls. Some places in the US are going to see this return..

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#6

Guiseppe Fiori, Alias Permontto. 1924

Guiseppe Fiori, Alias Permontto. 1924

The Sydney Justice & Police Museum Report

The fact that they were allowed to pose and even retain their own clothes does mean that this was a sort of “golden age” of mugshots. There is something appealing about the modern iteration, of just a face and side profile, but, as these images demonstrate, certain looks are just no longer possible. 

#7

Hazel Mcguinness, 26 July 1929

Hazel Mcguinness, 26 July 1929

Hazel McGuinness was charged along with her mother Ada McGuiness with having cocaine (in substantial quantities) illegally in her possession. Police described a raid on the McGuinnesses’ Darlinghurst house during which the mother Ada threw a hand bag containing packets of cocaine to her daughter, shouting, ‘Run Hazel!’

The Sydney Justice & Police Museum Report

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#8

‘Ah Num’ And ‘Ah Tom’, Ca 1930

‘Ah Num’ And ‘Ah Tom’, Ca 1930

The ‘D’ prefix on the serial number indicates that the photograph was taken on behalf of the Drug Bureau

The Sydney Justice & Police Museum Report

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So all in all, take this as an opportunity to explore the criminals and fashion of the past. While it might be a bit strange to take fashion advice from a hundred-year-old image of a convict, one can’t deny that many of them do look downright cool. If you overlook the criminal-elephant in the room. 

#11

Sydney Skukerman, Or Skukarman. 1924

Sydney Skukerman, Or Skukarman. 1924

Obtains goods from warehousemen by falsely representing that he is in business.

The Sydney Justice & Police Museum Report

#12

Emma Rolfe (Aka May Mulholland, Sybil White, Jean Harris And Eileen Mulholland), 1 April 1920

Emma Rolfe (Aka May Mulholland, Sybil White, Jean Harris And Eileen Mulholland), 1 April 1920

Emma Rolfe better known as May Mulholland (also as Sybil White, Jean Harris and Eileen Mulholland) had numerous convictions in the period 1919-1920 for theft of jewellery and clothing (all quality items: silk blouses, kimonos and scarves, antique bric a brac etc) from various houses around Kensington and Randwick, and from city shops

The Sydney Justice & Police Museum Report

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rosiecoyle avatar
Pandarosa
Community Member
1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This thread is turning into a walk down memory lane to the time I lived in Sydney

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#14

Hampton Hirscham, Cornellius Joseph Keevil, William Thomas O’brien & James O’brien. 1921

Hampton Hirscham, Cornellius Joseph Keevil, William Thomas O’brien & James O’brien. 1921

The quartet pictured were arrested over a robbery at the home of bookmaker Reginald Catton, of Todman avenue, Kensington, on 21 April 1921. The Crown did not proceed against Thomas O’Brien but the other three were convicted and received sentences of fifteen months each

The Sydney Justice & Police Museum Report

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Tucker Cahooter
Community Member
1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Look more like a barbershop quartet. Expecting them to break into song and wave those hats around

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#16

Doris Winifred Poole, 31 July 1924

Doris Winifred Poole, 31 July 1924

Doris Poole appeared before the Newtown Police Court charged with stealing jewellery and clothing

The Sydney Justice & Police Museum Report

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Mabelbabel
Community Member
1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If she stole those shoes, she had very good taste-they're really pretty.

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#17

Philomena Mary Best, 15 March 1927

Philomena Mary Best, 15 March 1927

Philomena Best stole silk and other goods valued at over 36 pounds (about $2000 today) from a Bourke shopkeeper

The Sydney Justice & Police Museum Report

#18

Elsie Hall, Dulcie Morgan, Jean Taylor C. 1920

Elsie Hall, Dulcie Morgan, Jean Taylor C. 1920

The names inscribed here do not appear in police records for 1920-21, and it is likely the women were photographed simply because they were found in the company of known criminals

The Sydney Justice & Police Museum Report

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#19

Dorothy Mort, 18 April 1921

Dorothy Mort, 18 April 1921

Convicted of murder. Mrs Dorothy Mort was having an affair with dashing young doctor Claude Tozer. On 21 December 1920 Tozer visited her home with the intention of breaking off the relationship. Mort shot him dead before attempting to commit suicide

The Sydney Justice & Police Museum Report

#21

‘Hayes’, Early 1920s

‘Hayes’, Early 1920s

The Sydney Justice & Police Museum Report

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Jon Lee
Community Member
1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

He could be an ex-soldier who server in WW1, the eyes appear to have seen too much.

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#22

Albert Sing, 31 March 1922

Albert Sing, 31 March 1922

On 1 May 1922, a month after this photograph was taken, Albert Sing was sentenced to 18 months hard labour on three counts of receiving stolen goods, including fountain pens, cutlery and clothing

The Sydney Justice & Police Museum Report

#23

May Smith, 8 April 1929

May Smith, 8 April 1929

May Smith, alias ‘Botany May’, was an infamous drug dealer

The Sydney Justice & Police Museum Report

#24

Frederick Edward Davies. 1921

Frederick Edward Davies. 1921

The handwritten inscription on this unnumbered Special Photograph reads ‘Frederick Edward Davies stealing in picture shows and theatres Dets Surridge Clark and Breen Central 14-7-21’

The Sydney Justice & Police Museum Report

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#25

Thomas Sutherland Jones And William Smith, 15 July 1921

Thomas Sutherland Jones And William Smith, 15 July 1921

Smith and Jones are listed in the NSW Police Gazette as charged with stealing seven packages of twine (value 14 pounds). Jones was further charged with stealing thirty horse rugs (value 15 pounds) and two bales of kapok (value 20 pounds)

The Sydney Justice & Police Museum Report

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PandaJon
Community Member
1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Their grandkids, Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith later went on to star in MEN IN BLACK

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#26

Gilbert Burleigh And Joseph Delaney. 1920

Gilbert Burleigh And Joseph Delaney. 1920

Gilbert Burleigh on the left is identified as a ‘hotel barber’, and Delaney‘s picture is labelled ‘false pretences & conspiracy’

The Sydney Justice & Police Museum Report

#29

Thomas Craig, Raymond Neil (Aka “Gaffney The Gunman”), William Thompson And Fw Wilson. 1928

Thomas Craig, Raymond Neil (Aka “Gaffney The Gunman”), William Thompson And Fw Wilson. 1928

The Sydney Justice & Police Museum Report

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Tucker Cahooter
Community Member
1 month ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Looks like the sort of guys to conduct a St Valentine's Day massacre

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#30

“Silent Tom” Richards And T Ross. 1920

“Silent Tom” Richards And T Ross. 1920

The Sydney Justice & Police Museum Report

Note: this post originally had 60 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.

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